Inglorious Basterds. Garbage. 30 minutes of gold from Brad Pitt, and then 2 hours of Tarantino jerking himself off.

It's been apparent from the start, but TQ doesn't even hide it anymore. First and foremost he makes movies for HIMSELF. If you buy into his vision, then you'll love it. If not, then good luck watching a guy making films for his inner fanboy. I haven't touched his stuff since Kill Bill 2. It's all just blatant self masturbatory fantasies.

Seriously. There's hasn't been such an innocent and sweet but not sugar-coated story every since. You could draw a lot of parallels between the two, but Ponyo is by no means repetitive.

Also, while not really comparable, overall this is Ghibli's (not only Miyazaki's) best movie since Mononoke Hime. All the movies since then, with the exception of The Cat Returns which I didn't see and Spirited Away which was good but not that good, were rather forgettable. I'm trying very hard to remember what Howl's Moving Castle was about, but can only vaguely recall a few scenes and nothing of the plot. Ponyo I feel like returning to already.

As Melon mentioned, Ponyo quotes the classic Andersen's The Little Mermaid tale. While the movie overall is a much more loose interpretation of the tale than the Disney's classic animation, at least the quote is much more accurate and not sugar-coated, despite there still being a happy ending.

I have a hard time deciding which movie impressed me more, Ponyo or Totoro. They both are beautiful with their carefreeness, and both give me the shivers with their depictions of the nature and the elements. In Ponyo, especially the cliff chase scene was making me sit on the edge and bringing tears to my eyes. It's something to be studied how without over-dramatization achieve such a powerful effect, and how to so naturally slip into magical realism while completely enchanting the viewer.

I could go on... But to save me the trouble, just go and watch it now. Preferably the subtitled version, in which I noticed nothing about what Melon raged.

I really, really hope it will get the Oscar. It deserves it so much more than Spirited Away! I didn't see UP yet, but for this sole reason I'm silently hoping that it will be a huge letdown. Melon brought up a good question, 2D vs 3D. I think I found my answer, by recently watching Ponyo, Totoro, WALL-E, and Toy Story (all for the first time except Totoro, which I've only really watched twice many years ago). Toy Story looks so very dated now. While story-wise it is ok, visually it's just not cutting it, even if you're a geek and can appreciate all the neat little references the geeks who made the movie had fun putting in. Totoro, on the other hand, looks and feels as fresh and beautiful as if it was made yesterday. I was worried watching it right after Ponyo, but it just didn't lose any points nor didn't seem to have aged at all.

WALL-E was fantastic and all, but despite that I don't expect it not to look aged in 5 or so years. One could argue that Pixar themselves realised that there's only this much to 3D CGI, which is why they dared to foray into live-action. I'm really looking forward to seeing more such surprises in UP.

One more thing... I really wish I could nail down and name the something that makes especially certain anime like Ponyo and Totoro stand out among their Western counterparts. People are being labelled filthy weeaboos for going "hurr durr animu is SPESHUL". I thought I've left that far behind many years ago , but damn me if there isn't something to it. No, actually, damn you Hayao Miyazaki for proving it so flawlessly. And damn the old farts in the Academy if in all their wisdom they don't see this something and not cast the right vote.

Saw 9 today. It's certainly not all that original in any aspect other than it's art/character designs, but it was impressively cool and a fun time for nine (oho!) bucks. I want toys of everything in this movie. I've seen 2 figures of the 9 and 1 characters at Toys R Us & they're perfectly done (by NECA, the company that makes all those game-based figures like SF4, Gears of War, etc) but I want the seven others. Right now. And the robots! God these things were eerily awesome & looked like Tim Burton assembled them himself. The action scenes involving the raven-type and the snake-type ones were really creatively done & my only complaint is that it's only a little over an hour long. Animators are lazy.

Oh, there was also a trailer for Where The Wild Things Are, which has James "Tony Soprano" Gandolfini voicing the main fuzzyface whateverthing. Kinda unsettling.

A bit old now, but I saw The Pursuit of Happyness this past Saturday and it was pretty good. I wish it would've focused more on his success rather than just rolling the credits the moment he got his life together, but it was pretty good.

Sorry to say that Will Smith is still not the most interesting person in his movies. Ever. The little boy was the star, most definitely.

Kind of Blair Witch meets Poltergeist and the Exorcist. However, of the faux documentaries, like the afforementioned Blair Witch and Cloverfield (both of which I really didn't like), this is by far, much better. Only one of the characters does typical "stupid shit people do in horror movies." The rest of it is pseudo-realistic, IMHO.

Normally I avoid any movie with vampires that isn't specifically about killing them since Anne Rice turned them into butt-plugging emos all those years ago, but I just watched a great Swedish movie called Let the Right One In that told a great vampire story without all the faggotry that's been piled on them in the last couple of decades. Not so much of a horror movie as it is a character study, but it did have a few kickass horror scenes and some damn good performances from the 12 year old main characters.

Normally I avoid any movie with vampires that isn't specifically about killing them since Anne Rice turned them into butt-plugging emos all those years ago, but I just watched a great Swedish movie called Let the Right One In that told a great vampire story without all the faggotry that's been piled on them in the last couple of decades. Not so much of a horror movie as it is a character study, but it did have a few kickass horror scenes and some damn good performances from the 12 year old main characters.

Hear hear, it's brilliant. Similarly, Zombieland is actually a somewhat fresh take on a zombie movie.

Normally I avoid any movie with vampires that isn't specifically about killing them since Anne Rice turned them into butt-plugging emos all those years ago, but I just watched a great Swedish movie called Let the Right One In that told a great vampire story without all the faggotry that's been piled on them in the last couple of decades. Not so much of a horror movie as it is a character study, but it did have a few kickass horror scenes and some damn good performances from the 12 year old main characters.

I also liked this movie. It was released around the same time as Twilight iirc and I lamented the lack of love for the film/how it drowned in the glitterlotioned masses. From what I've caught of the book they changed it drastically, but I feel it's for the better. The book is that violent porn that Palanuik jerks off to. None of the elements that I thought made it great are in it. If you don't mind a book, The Strain is a good "vampires fucking kill people" book. The idea came from del Toro, so the vampires share some simularity with the Blade vampires.

This weekend I hope to catch "The Invention of Lying" (I think that's what it's called?) and "Zombieland".

Man, I just came back from seeing Paranormal Activity. I think I hyped myself up too much for it.

The scares were nice, but that's all I can really say for it. It's pretty boring beyond that. There's virtually no plot development or explanation as to why any of this is happening and there's a lot of random/unnecessary stuff. I guess that's what's supposed to make it seem real, though.

Man, I just came back from seeing Paranormal Activity. I think I hyped myself up too much for it.

The scares were nice, but that's all I can really say for it. It's pretty boring beyond that. There's virtually no plot development or explanation as to why any of this is happening and there's a lot of random/unnecessary stuff. I guess that's what's supposed to make it seem real, though.

Also the audience I was with was really horrible.

EPIC LATENESS, buuut... The theater version's ending sucks pretty hard from what I hear, but I saw a version that ended differently (yay for bootlegs). You're probably aware of it by now, but the original ending of the movie before it went to theaters [spoiler alert~]had the girlfriend, Katie, come back up the stairs after killing her boyfriend and just sit by the side of the bed rocking back and forth for two days with a bloody knife in her hand. A friend drops by to check on them and finds Micah dead, screams, leaves, and a few hours later, the cops arrive. They head upstairs, Katie's possession wears off and she stands up, disoriented, and a bit panicked. She approaches the cops, asking where Micah is, but they panic and shoot her. She presumably dies and the credits roll as the cops approach the camera and ask why it's there, what to do with it, etc.[end spoiler alert]

So I thought that ending was better than the cheesiness I heard from friends who saw it in theaters at least. But I agree that it wasn't scary at all and I hyped it up way too much. I probably should've known better, but at least it was entertaining.

I actually want to see The Princess and The Frog!! I've been screaming for an animated musical from Disney instead of Pixar and something like Hercules and Emperors New Groove. Don't get me wrong, I loved those two; but they haven't really made a good musical since The Lion King. I kinda have high hopes.

I was hoping for it to be more shaun of the dead-ish (as in "funnier"), but I didn't actually have any expectations for this movie, so I wasn't really disappointed.
It's entertaining, but not as good as it wants to be.

Easily one of the better Princess films. The theater ripped me off (start time was 9:45, show up at 9:38 and the movie had already started AND was halfway through the villian's musical number. GRRRR) but from what I saw, the villain's musical number was the best and had little odes to the trippy Disney of old (I love you Dumbo). The second best would be Mama Odie's "dig a little deeper". The Prince was a joy to watch, as most "playboys with a heart of gold" are (or maybe I have a soft spot for scoundrels with a heart), and he had great lines that most laughed at. The only fault I could find is Tiana's character. I love her, she's like a modern version of Belle (headstrong and a little more feminist) but her growth through the film wasn't strong, especially foiled against Prince Naveed. She's a hard worker. She works hard. Yeap, she's thinking about work again. Cut loose, baby! Oh look, she's working hard. That said, she and Prince Naveed's rapports are entertaining and funny. The love story isn't as strong as Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid, but that's mostly due to the origin story and not the directors. I'm impressed they managed to wring as much material from a one-two page story. What's next? A film based on The Princess and the Pea? ...Actually, that would be a pretty entertaining story if you take it at face value instead of literal. ....Anyway, Princess and the Frog is awesome.

The film is FILLED with little odes to past Disney and classic animation in general. The scene with the hillbillies errr Cajuns is the finest imo. I'm seeing it again to see what else I can catch. It's like a love letter to animation. I just have to add how much I love that they went back to basics. There's something about Disney animation that is different. I can't explain it very well, but the way the characters look and move has this almost ethereal quality to it that other animation studios can't capture. It's one of those things that make each studio special and I am DE-LIGHTED to have it back. Thank you Clements and Musker, you guys are my heroes!

One of the things I found disappointing was the lack of GREAT songs. Now, all the songs in the film are good, don't get me wrong, there's not a weak number in the lot. But there's nothing as catchy as "Under the Sea", "Circle of Life" or "A Whole New World" to name a few. "Dig a Little Deeper" may come close on repeated viewings.

The side characters nearly stole the show. I am amazed Ray's character became what it was (especially since the trailers had me nailing him for the stupid characters we usually see in other -coughdreamworkscough- animated films; I should have had more faith but after schlock like BOLT...(which is sad for what it was and what it became...fuck I always go off topic)), and the end to his arc is amazing. I thought he would be annoying in the previews but he's actually the most heartwarming character. And let me say YES with regards to dealing with his character. (I hope I kept it vague enough to avoid spoilers so don't highlight this until after you've seen it I teared up a little, even!) Charlotte is hilarious and a total scene stealer. I'd watch a movie with Charlotte as the lead. Louis is a great joke character and I particularly enjoyed his scenes.

And Doctor Facilier is one of the better villains to come out of a Disney flick. Sadly he doesn't get as much screen time as the other villains, but ah well, nothing's perfect. His number is one of the best, and he gets moments of pure evil during the film so we don't feel so bad about his eventual demise err I mean DRAGGED DOWN TO HELL WITH A TOMBSTONE SHOWING HIS HORRIFIED FACE AS THE ONLY MEMENTO OF HIS LIFE.

Okay, okay, I'm rambling too much. I'd hate to be in the judges' shoes for the Oscar. I can't choose between the big 3's films. They all have their strengths and weaknesses and I loved each and every one. PLEASE OH PLEASE let 2010 have a release from Disney, Pixar, and Ghilbi again. I think I will die of happiness if this became an annual occasion.

The Usual Suspects - Awesome in all ways. The twist had been ruined for me before, but I forgot what it was before I watched it, so it didn't matter. A+

Gran Torino - It was good. I haven't seen many Clint Eastwood-acted movies and I should fix that. He is a master grumpy old man-ism here. A-

Sherlock Holmes - Saw it last night! It was in a tiny theater full of people (including babies) and bad ventilation and the screen, from where I was sitting, looks worse than most televisions. I enjoyed the movie anyway and will happily go see the sequel, which the last quarter of this one exists to set up. I found that aspect kind of annoying, but oh well. Go see it. Or don't. B

I was expecting to hate Avatar, but it wasn't too bad. I would probably have edited about 45 minutes out of it though. Sadly, I was expecting to love Sherlock Holmes, but I didn't. I Downey's my man, and his acting elevated the movie from "meh" to "okay," but nothing else worked for me at all. Looking forward to The Book of Eli, Kick-Ass, Clash of the Titans, and Legion.

I promised myself to avoid any and all hype around Smurfs the Movie Avatar and only watch it maybe few years from now with nothing better to do, but now I noticed Sigourney Weaver is in it, so I feel kinda obliged to watch it soon. Sam Worthington is also a huge draw, after the fantastic Terminator Salvation. I hope they will play it in 3D or whatever it is in Dublin, just so there is some novelty to it if the movie itself expectedly turns out utter crap.

I don't remember the last live-action movie I watched... We're having a bit of an anime renaissance. So:

Ghost in the Shell - didn't age a single bit. I watched a few times too many during my weeaboo years (think mid to late 90's), but it's absolutely jaw-dropping today, animation quality-wise. Plot and message-wise too - it's surprisingly much more mature and chilling than I have expected when watching it as a somewhat more (but actively fighting against it!) person now. My opinion of it shoot through the roof.

Key the Metal Idol - also went up a notch in my book after watching it for the second time some 10 years later. Animation has dated a bit, but the story and characters are holding strong, and the music is flawless as ever.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Awkward title, but great movie. Animation is less dated than I expected. Now my second favorite Ghibli movie. B+

Which one is your first favourite?

Gran Torino - It was good. I haven't seen many Clint Eastwood-acted movies and I should fix that. He is a master grumpy old man-ism here. A-

Was A+++ for me, and somehow made me break down and cry like a little girl. :< It's also the grandest crown he could have created to finish his acting career. It's selfishly sad to know he's done acting now, but I really hope he will stick to his promise because Gran Torino will be really hard to top.

Well, now that aine is gone on vacation, I'm going to watch the Dollars trilogy and envy how good looking Clint Eastwood is. I wish I could marry him. Shut up, he looks now still for a 79 year old!

For once I feel weird and creepy like a wota.

What the HELL??? I was gone for 2 days only and this is what I get. :<

Avatar can be summed up as technical brilliance bolted onto a cliche and unoriginal story. I liked it, but I'm not insane over it like some fanboys. And it was so fucking long that I couldn't watch it again in-full, except maybe on a plane.

Well, I pretty much love several Michael Mann (Heat the most of course) movies and his shoot-outs are always so amazingly well done, you can call it a choreography. I also like Public Enemies, especialy from a cinematography standpoint.